Photographer's Note

Undara lava tubes inland from Cairns and Townsville have one of the biggest collection of lava tubes in the world. Lava flowed from volcanoes along depressions with the upper parts cooling first allowing the hotter inner flow to keep going, and creating the tubes, some of which are up to 30km long.
Here you can see an arch when 2 sections of the roof have collapsed. The arch is dried lava.
If you think that the vegetation looks a bit like rainforest it is but it is what is called dry rainforest getting plenty of rain in the wet season but drying out through the rest of the years.
You can walk through (with guide only) several of the tubes and it does get very dark inside.
In the wet season some of the tubes get flooded with water and people swim through them
There are plenty of little bats living in the tubes.
Because of the uneven light this photo is a merged set of 3 bracketed photos.
As always best viewed in the large version.

One of the very few north Qld attractions I haven't yet seen. I have been inside a lava tube in Jeju, South Korea though. I like the patterned ceiling and strangler fig trying to establish itself at the cave entrance. Tfs!

Hello Ian, This phenomenon was new to me, and I find it fascinating. Your photo has plenty of atmosphere, as well as showing off the texture and scale of the lava arch and surrounding vegetation. A good example of bracketing too!
TFS
Best wishes..........Maggie

Hi Ian,
a very interesting subject and very interesting photo. This structure well covers the bright sky. There is also quite specific vegetation here with trees having a lot of lines.
Great natural scenery,
M